Sometimes miracles do happen.......

In my case, I actually wrote up a menu plan for this coming week:

Notice however there are no days of the week before each entry, but there are seven days dinner's/supper's there.

Went shopping on Friday morning at our local Zehrs and made out like a bandit with the 50% off selection.

Got a chicken pot pie for $3 and that will give us two meals for dh and I.  Got a cauliflower for $1, so while I cooked the pie on Friday night, I also roasted the cauliflower at the same time.

I got some stewing beef for just over $3, that is why the beef bourguignan is on the menu.  The beef sauce/pasta sauce was on for $1.99 which along with half price stuffed pasta will make another yummy meal.

I am itching to try this Red Lentil and Kale Curry recipe and this Curried Butternut Squash Soup.  I lucked out as our local Zehrs had the PC Brand of frozen veggies on sale for $1.77 a bag, so will be using the frozen veg in both these recipes.  I personally don't have a problem using frozen veggies in recipes.  I bought this package to use in the Lentil and Kale Curry:

Dh loves Omelette's and they are so easy to whip up with a salad.  So all in all I am happy with what is planned for meals.

For dessert we generally have a quarter of a sugar free jello/jelly package (made up obviously😏) with fruit added in it.  Sometimes with yogurt, sometimes just on its own.

I may make cheese scones using this recipe over the weekend, as they look so good and simple to make.

Do you use frozen veggies, or do you prefer fresh?

The verdict is in............

It's Bronchitis, no wonder I can't flipping breathe.  The good news is that the weather has turned cooler and the humidity has gone, so that does help with the breathing.  Always helps to have a visual, don't you think!!

I have now been prescribed "horse pills" for a week.  The first lot he prescribed as per the pharmacist could react with my heart not in a positive way, so this is the second lot.  Tomorrow (30th) is the one year anniversary of when I ended up in hospital with blood clots on my lungs, so really don't want to go down that path again.

The one and only good thing about this whole being sick thing is it is keeping my weight down as I can't do any walking at the moment.  The whole walking and breathing thing is a bit tricky at the moment😎 I am down 23 1/2 lbs now since the end of June and can see a difference in my clothes now which is good.

Hoping I feel a lot better by Monday and can start walking again, fingers crossed!!

Pumpkin Spice Latte........

McDonald's has introduced it's Pumpkin Spice Latte for the Fall:

Enjoy a fall drink perfect for warming up to the crisp autumn air. Our pumpkin spice latte is freshly brewed and spiced to perfection with hints of pumpkin and cinnamon flavors. Espresso made from Rainforest Alliance Certified Beans™ blends with steamed whole or nonfat milk for a delicious latte treat that’s cozy and relaxing.  



I decided to have one as a small is on for $1.00 at the moment.  Total fail for me, too sweet and icky.  I'll stick to my plain skim milk latte's in future.

Bought a box of these the other day:

Special K Nourish* Dark Chocolate Chunks & Almond bars are made with real visible ingredients and big pieces of nuts, fruits and grains which can be seen vividly through the clear wrapper. No artificial colours or flavours, gluten free and all for an affordable price.

I like nuts, I like chocolate, but generally don't like them together.  However in this case this is so good and tasty and well worth a try.

So a hit and a miss on new things I have tried.  How about you have you tried anything new recently that you loved or hated?

Really Pi**ed off!!

Had a guy at the house on Monday to repair my Dell Laptop, as this time the on/off power button wasn't working right.....thank goodness for in house warranty repair.  Nice enough guy got the job done and off he went.

Dh comes home and says what happened to the driveway?  I hadn't been outside all day (not well remember 😷), so I pop outside to have a look and this is what I see:

That guy's car wasn't just dripping oil, it was leaking oil.  By the amount of oil it leaked on our driveway (he was here 90 minutes) that is a major leak and one which I suspect he knew about.

To my mind that is an inconsiderate, selfish and bloody annoying thing to do; parking your car in someone's driveway knowing your car is leaking oil.  Not only that, but parking on a driveway with interlocking stones.  To say I am peed off is an under statement.  Dh is going to try and burn it off, but you have to be careful and not crack the bricks.

I did talk with the company who sent out the technician and we agreed that although he shouldn't have parked in the driveway, he didn't intend on making a mess of the driveway.  I said they should send an email out to all employees about this as a reminder about parking in customers driveways.

Meanwhile, we just have to get on with it and repair the driveway. {{{SIGH}}}

Shopping for baby

Another new baby to shop for, no relative though, just a friend of a friend.  Regardless love looking through the baby clothes.  This time it is for a little girl, Kaira (pronounced Kira) and she's a tiny one at just over 4lbs.  So I went to our local Wal-Mart and picked up three outfits in various sizes and a little something else.

Newborn outfit:

 0 - 3 month outfit:

 3 - 6 month outfit:

Then a couple of little rattles that attach to baby's wrists. 

Just enough to say hello little one and to tell the parents we are thinking of them all.  I enjoy buying for babies, do you?

Senior moments.......

(photo credit)

I would love to say it only happens now and then, but recently they have been arriving fast and furious.  Now I am putting it down to being so tired, but even dh is a tad concerned..........what was I saying?😉

So I guess it will be one more thing too ask the doctor this week, when I see him.  I suppose the wise thing to do is write a list of things I need to ask him!!  Am I a wise one though???

Do you write down a list of things you need to ask when you visit the doctor, or just wing it?  Are you having senior moments?

Missing Molly.....

Would you believe it is coming up to five years on October 13th that we lost our dear Molly?  There she is with that hedgehog of hers..........

Where we live is not particularly dog friendly.  We have new neighbours and they have a 12 year old lab called Hudson, he is the perfect gentleman and makes me miss Molly even more.

When we were on vacation in Williamsburg, we saw so many dogs and the majority were so well behaved.  Including this one called Nora, who was sitting on the "naughty bench," like our grand daughter has to do!!

This Nora was only a year or two old, I can't remember exactly.

When we were walking one morning we met a couple who were walking four Bernese Mountain Dogs, ages 4, 3, 2 and 4 months.  I wish I had taken a photo, as they were the cutest bunch albeit a big bunch!!

Is there going to be another dog in our future?  I do hope so, just not while we are living in this house.

My new best friends..........

Yes they taste awful but they are good for you.  The Buckley's not the McCafe coffee.

I am at the "I want to die," stage now.  My throat is so itchy and scratchy and I feel like death warmed over.

What is your go too remedy when you have a head cold?

I'm now off to feel sorry for myself😷

Mixed bag of things for the week......

This has been dh's last week of vacation.  He will be back to work on Monday and I know I will miss him.  However it's been a miserable three weeks of vacation as I have been sick the WHOLE time.  Seriously I have no idea how this happened.  On Wednesday I came down with a head cold and stomach flu to add to everything.  I think I am that run down that I am catching everything going.

Although I take an iron pill everyday I decided to start taking a multi-vitamin to see if that helps.  I asked the pharmacist and he recommended this one:

We will see how it goes.  I am back at the doctor's next week for a follow up, so hopefully will feel a lot better by then.

It was dh's birthday this week.  I took him to Ikea for the $1 breakfast only to discover it has gone up to $2.99!!😋  Haven't been to Ikea in ages, so it was nice to have a look around.  By the time we had done that I was exhausted, so had to come home, so a rip-roaring exciting time dh had on his birthday.

The weather is stinking hot and humid at the moment, which I am hating it just tires me out more.  Tomorrow will be 39 oC with the humidity, so I will be hibernating again.

Dh signed up for Sports Net World again so Saturday morning we will binge watch the British Soccer games.  I will read the Toronto Star newspaper and continue knitting my hat.  It's for a prize for a United Way fundraiser that dd is organizing at work:

Loving the yarn I am using, it's Sidar Freya, which is 55% Cotton, 31% Acrylic and 14% Polyester and so, so soft.  I got it from The Knitting Basket.  I used this pattern, it's free from Raverly.

I think dh will be glad to go back to work as I haven't been the best company these past three weeks.......

I hope you had a better week than we did?

Bits and Bobs

When we were away I picked up a couple of business cards of places/sites I wanted to visit online when we got back home.

Saw this woman at a Sunday market; P.Carter Carpin

It was the bright colours that first caught my eye, but I loved the name banners.  They are made with felted wool, which is something I would like to try.  The link to this lady's Etsy store is above.

King William Alpacas was also at this same market.  Not the Alpacas but their human owners!!!  I hummed and haa-ed over their yarn as it was to die for but ultimately I didn't buy any, which was a mistake on my part, and I am sad that I didn't.   They did say if you call first to make arrangements they will show you the alpacas, which I thought was nice.  Here is one of their Alpacas Flash:

You can buy yarn from Flash's coat here:

One store I sought out while in Williamsburg was The Spice and Tea Exchange.  That was a store for all your senses to drink in.  It was a delight and the lady that was working that day was a joy to deal with.  We picked up some spices as a gift for someone and it included their own Signature Spice Blend.

Everywhere you turned though there was something new to see and look at.  If you are in the area you should check out these places.

Reading and reviewing books.............

I have been catching up on my reading since we got back.  I had three books to read and review.  All were good in very different ways.

The first All Saints was about the Karen people from Burma who came to live in Tennessee and how they helped revive The All Saints church in a small community.  Very interesting and I learned something new.  You can read my review here.

The second book I reviewed was Gracelaced and you can read my review here.  What attracted me to this book was the artwork and photography, as it is gorgeous.  However once you start reading the book it's words make you think and reflect and that in itself is just as lovely.  Ruth Chou Simmons, has a lovely website and blog with many other things on it and it is well worth a look: Gracelaced  I would love to have some of her art work hanging on our home walls.

The last book I read was a Lauraine Snelling book.  I enjoy her books and did enjoy the detail of day to day life in this book.  This was a book about Norwegians emigrating to America and the hardships they endured.  You can read my review here.

I do try to read at least two books a month.  I don't review them all; although I know I should.  Not sure about you but I tend to go through phases of reading about one particular subject all the time, then never pick up that subject for ages?

All the books I reviewed here are from a company called Graff Martin and I have been reviewing for them for a number of years now.

Are you a reader?  I have another blog specifically for reviewing books: That British Woman's Book Review Blog; please feel free to check it out. Thanks 😊😊😊😊

Grayhaven Winery

On our way down to Williamsburg, Virginia, we took a side trip to visit Grayhaven Winery in Gum Spring, Virginia.  We bought a Groupon for a Winery Cellar Tour, Artisan Cheese Board, And Souvenir Wine Glasses For Two.

First let me say this place is in the middle of nowhere 😉 However, this isn't that strange for us to go to somewhere using the GPS and it taking us along the minor roads to a far away place!!  I will say we were relieved to discover that Grayhaven Winery did exist and what a lovely place it was, run by a very lovely couple.

As many of you know I don't drink alcohol, or at least very little alcohol, but wanted to treat dh  to a tour and as we were only 90 minutes from our destination, I knew I would have no trouble driving the rest of the way.  We got there just before 1 pm I think and we were joined by another couple shortly after who had also bought a Groupon for the same thing.  We got to taste a number of their wines; though I declined most of them, as it turns out I only liked the super sweet wine, that was called Jam Jar and their Port/Desert Wine.  I could have drunk those by the gallon............but remember I was driving!!

The owners of the winery were super friendly; I forgot their names, sorry!  The husband guided us through the wine tasting and the wife gave us a tour of the winery and explained how everything worked.  They are a small winery who make under 5,000 cases of wine per year.  They only sell through the winery, not in any retail stores and everyone is hands on in the growing, processing and distribution of their wines.  Making it a small boutique/indie type of winery.  After the tour we were treated to a cheese and cracker board that was just lovely.  Dh enjoyed his with a glass of wine.

Here are some photos from the day:

The selection of wines we tasted.

 The owner of the Winery, again sorry I forgot his name, but he is originally from South Africa.  

The lovely Jam Jar wine, which was infact the cheapest wine they sold!!! 

 A view from the patio where we sat and ate our cheese and crackers.

Another view from the patio. 

 Our yummy cheese and cracker plate, there was olives also, but neither of us like them.  See the napkin on top of dh's wine glass, the wasps were out in force as they had just harvested the grapes.

 The koi in the pond were huge.

Dh's favourite wine was the Rendezvous Cabernet Sauvignon 

" Flavors of black currant and tobacco flow smoothly over the palate in Grayhaven's Cabernet Sauvignon. While delightful on release, this medium bodied wine is supported by a healthy tannin structure, making it a great choice for home cellar aging. Serve Grayhaven Cabernet Sauvignon with zesty Italian dishes, veal with porcini cream sauce or prime rib with red wine demi-glaze. "

If you happen to be in the area, it is a worthwhile place to visit and you will be made very welcome; I know we were, and do have their cheese plate it was so, so good.

Coobie's.......

This post is for the women only......well I guess some men may find it useful???😏

I am in love with a new to me product, Coobie Seamless Bra's  I was reading a magazine when I was getting my feet done and saw an ad for them.  I have been struggling with slipping straps on my regular bras and it was getting annoying.  So I thought I would give these a try.  They are in the States and were going to charge me not only shipping and handling, but customs and duty fees for being in Canada.😟  Then as luck would have it they were featured on Zulilly Canada, so I decided to give them a try.

I think I paid less than $75 CDN for three bras and I love them.  I got this style in grey and white:

 and this style in beige:

I do prefer the grey and white one over the beige lacy one, but all are super comfortable.  No more slipping straps and easy to put on and take off.

This is not a sponsored post, I just like this product.

By the way just checked Zulilly and they are still available in various countries, including Canada, States, UK and Australia.

Oh and another thing I love now is the magazine I was reading when I saw the ad for the bras, Dr. Oz The Good Life  Lots of interesting info in it.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE USED TOO OR NEED UNDERWIRES, YOU WILL BE SURPRISED AT HOW MUCH SUPPORT THEY GIVE YOU.  I WAS/AM AN UNDERWIRE GIRL AND THEY ARE OKAY.  WELL WORTH TRYING IN MY OPINION.

Sorry for being so quiet..........

I haven't been feeling too great.  Had to cut our vacation short as we didn't want me ending up in hospital in the States.  

Without going into too much detail, my chest is clear and it is something to do with getting older and being a woman!!!

I will be back to posting in a day or two when I am more rested up.

Meanwhile took a couple of photos of this tree when in Colonial Williamsburg, thought it was interesting.

They let us in AGAIN!!!

Yup, we are on vacation in the States.  This time in the state of Virginia.

We visited a Farmer's Market and as always it was very interesting.

One stall sold mushrooms.  The two bags at the back and the two bags at the front were Lion's Mane Mushrooms. There seems to be two spellings for that mushroom Mane and Maine.  They were selling for $10 USD a bag.  If I remember rightly she said they tasted like crab?  They have a website called Steve Haas Mushrooms.  Never saw Steve, just a lady.

There was a stall that just sold Orchids.  This one is a deciduous one and a rarer colour.  As I pointed out to dh, "this one drops it leaves on purpose, unlike mine!"  Mine drops it leaves through lack of attention!

Sunflowers are "happy" flowers don't you think?

More lovely flowers. 

Didn't buy anything, but did enjoy the market and the lovely weather.

Our Little Man

What can I say about Our Little Man.....he is a bundle of energy, who NEVER listens!!!  He is 3 next week, where has the time gone too?  Just love this little guy.........

His little sister Miss J. didn't come to the play date as she is not walking yet.  She was 15 months at the end of August and is such a petite little girl compared to the others.  Very vocal; but she has to be with having two very vocal siblings and eats like a horse.  I don't have a photo of her to share, so will have to ask for one.  I haven't seen her in a couple of months.

Picked up my Fall planter insert....

Love this time of year, the colours are so happy to my mind:

Big Day for the two "N's"

as they both start full time Kindergarten/School today.  

Nitara has been ready for many months, and as her birthday is in January she will be one of the older kids in her year.  Over here the intake period is the year you were born, whereas in Britain, you had to be born between the prior September through to August.  So Nora is still only there so she will be one of the younger ones.

Nitara will go to school on a yellow school bus, so is all excited about that.  Nora will walk to school, or her dad will drop her off.  Both are excited about going to school, but what will happen on the actual day who knows.  I do know that Nitara will probably be fine, but Nora will have tears.

Nora will transition into the routine a lot better, as she is used to daycare.  Whereas Nitara hasn't been to daycare, so may find it a little harder to figure out the social aspect of it all.  Regardless, both will be fine after the first few days.  Here are a few photos of the two "N's" from Saturday.

When they both start talking it's difficult to get a word in edge ways!!  I do love these two and they love one another.